Eukara Vox
Legendary AdventureGuide!
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Surrounded and Tested:
Fight to Find Talvan
by Eukara
Talvan followed Niske blindly as they ran along the water's edge. Occasionally, they had to duck into the forest edge to avoid humans, but it wasn't enough if you asked Talvan. It was the only time she was given a rest.
"How much longer until we get there?" Talvan whined as she drug her feet through the sand, feigning weakness.
The Wyvern shook his head. "If you would just use your wings like a proper dragon, we would have already been there."
"I am a proper dragon!" Talvan pouted. "You just can't fully appreciate me because you are a Wyvern."
Niske spun around, nostrils flaring. "You are lucky I decided to even come rescue you! My mother had to FORCE me to. All dragons are so sure of themselves, so stuck-up, and you are the epitomy of everything that we know about your kind. Now, if you know what is good for you, do be quiet and just follow me. Otherwise, the Asanbosam or some other African indigenous creature will have at you and I won't move a muscle."
Cowering in the hot sand, Talvan lowered her head in submission and held back her tears. No one had ever spoken to her with that tone of voice. No one had ever yelled at her. And... No one had ever threatened to not help her when she needed it. She watched Niske hop away uncomfortably and sighed. Picking up one foot after the other, she followed like an obedient puppy.
* * * *
After talking to the Amphithere, Diren and Chrysa got back in the saddle and Namaran and headed over the sea towards Africa. Chrysa sat behind Diren, holding onto him tightly, thinking about how bad it was that her dragon could not identify where she lived. There was no way that she lived in Africa, yet the juvenile ice breather that Chrysa called sister made it sound like that. African fore... their forests looked nothing like that.
She shook her head. What am I going to do with her? She has no interest in anything outside of her pursuit of chocolate. If she would just listen once in a while... Chrysa sighed, though no one heard her as the wind whipped by her face. Her inner frustration kept Diren from speaking to her while they rode Namaran.
Soon enough, the African coast came into view, and with it an beautiful expanse of beaches and a lush forest. Chrysa admitted to herself that it was beautiful and that just her luck, Talvan was having a good time.
Far below, there were fishing boats and people on the beaches. Diren leaned back and asked Chrysa is she had a preference as to where they should land. She scanned the area, realizing that the further east they rode, the thinner the population on the sands.
"We have to go east, further away. Even with Namaran's magic, someone is bound to wonder about sounds, moving air and strange shadows," she called out to Diren.
"Sounds fine. Prepare for stealth when we reach the eastern shore." Diren turned back to watch Namaran's path, making sure that both sets of eyes could look for a good landing.
Eventually, Namaran and Diren settled on a wide strip of sand and Namaran made preparations to land. The dragon's magic warped the air around them and Chrysa had to bite her lip to distract her from the nausea such a move created in the pit of her stomach. Despite Namaran's perfect landing, the sand still stirred, creating a small sand devil. The few people off the shore watched the sand blow, but returned to their fishing disinterested.
Diren slid down Namaran's side and was caught by his dragon's forepaw. Wouldn't such a move cause unwanted attention when you land, Diren?
He thought for a moment before responding. You are right, brother dragon. He patted Namaran's foreleg as the dragon set him on the sand. Wouldn't due to stir up too much more sand. Just our luck, those fisherman would come to investigate.
Chrysa stretched her wings and slowly drifted down to the ground and patted Namaran on the nose. He purred quietly and settled onto the ground, laying his head on his foreleg. Moving to stand next to Diren, she peered into the forest. "I wish there was a way to ask someone if they had seen a small dragon come through here."
Diren nodded. "Hey, do you think that maybe we are close enough that you can try contacting her through your bond again?"
She thought about this, it is possible that whatever had been cast upon Talvan was gone. Chrysa nodded in agreement. "Well, if what the Amphithere said was true, then we are on the same continent and not that far behind her. Let me move into the shade and sit down." Chrysa crossed over the hot sand, still making sure that Namaran stood between her and the fishermen. She sat in the shade of the jungle's edge and closed her eyes.
Chrysa dug deep inside, knowing that the tearing of their bond was going to require a great amount of effort on her part to repair and reconnect to Talvan. Most likely, she figured, Talvan was unaware of what exactly happened. Chrysa thought back to her first moments, the day that she bonded with Talvan. She remembered the panic and surprise, then the joy of having the connection to a wondrous creature like a dragon.
As if a tiny pinpoint of light pierced the darkness, Chrysa felt something that was not her own. Some miniscule feeling, one that anyone else would have shrugged off. She felt a frustrated loneliness and it most certainly felt like Talvan. She looked up and nodded her head. "I have a link, a small one, but a link nonetheless. As far as I can tell, she is tired and lonely."
"Tired as in, 'I am tired of no one doing anything for me' or 'tired because I am walking a lot'?"
Namaran huffed his audible complaint as Diren winced at his telepathic one. Diren spun around and looked at his dragon and waved his hands. Chrysa smiled, trying not to giggle as she watched Diren argue with Namaran. Finally, Diren's hands dropped to his side and he turned, defeated.
"I am to apologize for my remark. Apparently, even though the truth hurts, I shouldn't have said it." Diren shrugged his shoulders, not in accompaniment, but in another response to Namaran.
Chrysa stood and walked over to Diren. "It's fine. Both of your statements are, unfortunately, possibilities. But I think this is an honest lonely and tired... and a fear." She cocked her head to the side and turned towards the forest. "In there."
They both peered into the dark forest. Diren turned back and nodded to Namaran. "Looks like Talvan could be in here. Namaran, stay hidden and stay parallel to my position, alright?"
Physically, Namaran shook his head out of courtesy to Chrysa and stood at the ready. Taking her hand, Diren led the way into the forest. Namaran whimpered slightly as he watched them go, but knew better than to stop his rider.
The forest was dark, much darker than the ones of their home. There was also very little on the forest floor, which surprised Chrysa. But she had read that these types of forest had very little light reach the floor, making new growth nearly impossible. She was thankful, as the last run through a forest included low lying branches, bushes and an injured head and wing.
They walked for what seemed forever, their surrounding static and unhelpful. For all Chrysa and Diren knew, they were actually walking in circles. Chrysa felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she shivered, despite the humid heat. Turning slightly, she looked around and behind them, hoping that nothing was there and it was her imagination.
Despite her attempts, the inside of the forest was covered in shadow and there wasn't much she could see. But in the immediate area, there was nothing moving. As a matter of fact, she couldn't hear anything moving or singing.
"Diren, does it seem unnaturally quiet to you?" she asked nervously.
"It's probably our presence. We aren't from here and I bet the animals know it. Maybe they think we want to hunt them or something." Diren squeezed her hand to reassure her.
"I just have this weird feeling that we are being watched... and not by birds or furry creatures that are a foot tall," Chrysa whispered.
As Diren opened his mouth to speak, something shook the canopy above. Both dragon riders looked up, but saw nothing. To the left, leaves fell down to the ground and then branches shook off to the right. Tugging on her hand, Diren began to move faster. "I don't think I want us here anymore. Time to find an exit."
Branches snapped and Diren broke into a run, dragging Chrysa with him. He wove in and out of the massive tree trunks that haphazardly materialized out of the shadows. He was so grateful that Chyrsa was in better shape than her dragon.
"We have got to find our way out of here!" he yelled, dropping to the ground as something swooped over their heads.
Chrysa's knees slammed into the ground when Diren dropped onto his stomach, dragging her towards the leaf litter. She bit back a yelp as the pain shot through her legs. He pulled her again, this time causing her to fall face first into the leaves.
"What was that?" Chrysa called out as she lifted her head up to investigate.
Something swooped above them again and she felt Diren reach for the dagger strapped to his leg. "Whatever this is, is not going to let us out of here alive. You are the expert at weird stuff... What lives in Africa that would be swooping from trees and attacking us?"
"I don't know! I haven't gotten to Africa yet." Looking up, Chrysa spied something coming right at her face and rolled out of the way to avoid the collision. The creatures wings ran over the contours of her face; its leathery texture sending shivers down her spine.
Her eyes searched the canopy frantically from the floor. There were now an abundance of noises - the rush of wings, screams and breaking branches. The creatures were huge, far larger than anything she imagined would live in the upper story of a forest. A single scream sounded much louder than the rest and a chorus answered him.
"When I give the signal, Chrysa, we run."
His face was the most serious Chrysa had ever seen it. She nodded in agreement and began to reach for her own daggers. A blast of wind hit her from above and she looked up, only to see one of the creatures coming down at her. Its arms outstretched, it reached for her and she screamed.
She tried to roll out of the way and Diren grabbed her arm to pull her away, but neither action was successful. The creature's clawed hands closed around her shoulders and she was jerked up off the forest floor.
"Chrysa!" Diren leapt from the leaf litter and mud of the floor and attempted to jump up to and grab her. She shot through the air, disappearing from his view. "No, no, no, no!"
In his desperation, Diren didn't pay attention to his own dangers and found himself tackled. One of the creatures slammed into his side, knocking the breath from his body and sending him flying into a tree. A thump of his contact with the tree echoed in the forest and he fell to his knees. His side where the creature had hit him throbbed in pain. His breath came in short spurts, as it hurt to breath deeply.
Chrysa screamed once more from the air above, giving Diren the needed energy to stand. Hold on Chrysa, just hold on and fight when you can.
Chrysa watched the floor rapidly retreat from her view as she was violently lifted from the ground. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she felt herself being flung through the air horizontally. Spreading her wings, she attempted to right herself and fly from their grasps, but she wasn't used to these forests. One of the creatures tackled her mid-air, bruising one wing and she cried out in pain.
She was caught and tossed again immediately, though this time the direction was up. Up she was tossed, over and over again. Twice the creatures lost their grip and she plummeted to the ground only to be caught by one of them and the process started all over.
Barely able to see, Diren watched the shadows play games with his vision. Twice he swore that she was dropped and it gave him an idea. He searched the forest floor for anything he could throw - stick, rock... dead carcass. At this point he would throw anything but his weapon, knowing that that would put Chrysa in more danger than he was already planning.
Eventually, he found 3 rocks of differing sizes and took aim for any creature looking bigger than it should. He threw once and heard Chrysa scream falling through the air towards him. As he planned, another creature caught her. But before that one could toss her back up, he threw the next rock. It too dropped her and she plunged closer to the ground. One more catch her...
The third one to catch her was close enough to the ground that Diren thought he could catch Chrysa if she was released without hurting them both. He aimed and threw the rock as hard as possible. It hit the creature in the head, causing it to scream as it and Chrysa fell.
Eventually, Chrysa was released and she fell fast. Diren kept under her, adjusting the closer she came to him. Holding his arms out, he caught her and simultaneously fell to the ground to cushion the impact. He breathed a sigh of relief and placed her on her feet. "Now, we run."
Wordlessly, Chrysa broke into a run, Diren close on her heals. They could hear the sound of the creatures flying behind them, slowly gaining ground. Diren's breathing became more labored, yet his pace remained. From behind, both dragon riders were tackled, sending them sprawling to the floor. Several creatures dropped to the floor around Chrysa and Diren, hissing in anger.
Diren stood, helping Chrysa to her feet. Back to back, they looked at the situation at hand. "Chrysa, we are going to have to fight our way out of this."
Chrysa pulled her own daggers from their holders on her legs. "Let's just hope that where one falls another doesn't take its place."
The creatures lunged at them, snapping their teeth at the two. Chrysa recoiled from the sharp, pointed metallic looking teeth, and held her daggers out before her. Diren pulled his left dagger through the air, aiming for a creature's head while he used the other to defend against an attack beside him. Chrysa gripped her daggers, lunging at a creature that advanced on her. She missed with her right, but made contact with her left. The creature howled in pain and retreated.
Missing his target, Diren pulled his dagger back and used both to fend off the attack at his side. The creature swiped with sharpened claws, connecting to Diren's arm and ripping through his shirt sleeve. Blood trickled down his arm, but neither he nor Chrysa had time to tend to the wound.
The smell of blood drifted in the air and the creatures screamed in unison. Their attacked become more furious, yet more random. It was then that Chrysa realized what they were. "These have to be a type of vampire, Diren. Look at how they are reacting to your blood."
Diren stared in horror as they all began to converge on him, wild-eyed. "Please tell me that what I am seeing will actually be a good thing?"
"Their blood lust has taken over and they seem to be focused only on that. Just defend yourself and I will do what I can." Chrysa looked at Diren through the throng of vampires and nodded reassuringly.
As the creatures focused on Diren, Chrysa leapt on one and began to hit it with the hilt of her dagger. As it slowed its progress, Chrysa buried the blade of her dagger in its shoulder. It howled in pain and shook her off. Instead of attacking her back, it jumped and tried to fly, but the injury prevented it form leaving the ground. Instead it ran to the nearest tree and began to climb, using the uninjured side of its body to hold on.
The scent of a comrade's blood snapped a nearby vampire's concentration on Diren. It turned to Chrysa and advanced quickly. Chrysa gripped her daggers and waited until the creature was a few feet from her and dove out of the way. Rolling to her feet, Chrysa eyed the vampire as it attempted to changed direction and charged it, catching it off guard. Her dagger sliced through the air, ripping through the creature's chest. It screamed at Chrysa before launching itself into the air in retreat.
Diren slashed towards two vampires bearing down on him. He stabbed at one's abdomen, giving the other an open door to attack. The second vampire took it advantage and jumped towards Diren's back. Diren's dagger connected with the first vampire and then kicked out quickly, knocking the second to the ground. He looked at their immediate vicinity and nodded his head.
"Run!"
They ran, almost blindly, slowly moving to the right through the forest. He mentally called to Namaran, hoping that the dragon might have an idea as to where they were. -I can see animals running from a certain area, which I assume is you. You need to turn more right. I would hazard a guess that you are three dragon lengths from the forest edge, IF you turn at a ninety degree angle. If you don't, you are looking at running for a while longer.-
Diren reached out and grabbed Chrysa's arm and made a hard right, using a large tree trunk as cover. His hand dug into her skin, which he knew would leave a mark, but he couldn't shout to her his plans. The vampires that had begun to trail then cried out as Chrysa's and Diren's abrupt change in direction caused them to lose their prey.
The sounds of the vampires receded a little as they ran. Though the creatures were in pursuit, more and more distance was put between the dragonriders and their hunters. Namaran circled the forest above, watching their progress and encouraging Diren to push even though his pain was nearly more than Namaran could handle.
Namaran landed quite abruptly, causes the sand to fly in all directions, but he wasn't concerned about what it looked like. At the moment of his landing, Chrysa and Diren burst out of the forest and collapsed on the sand. Both tried desperately to catch their breaths, while trying to assess damages.
Namaran curled up around the both of them, sheltering them from the sun, heat and anything else that decided to come around. Both dragon riders, exhausted and hurt, fell asleep within seconds of being surrounded by Namaran's bulk.
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